Calve muscles

Author
Discussion

Lefty Guns

Original Poster:

16,223 posts

204 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
I've lost about 2 stone in the last 3 months by eating a bit more healthily, cutting out mid-week beer, and since we got a dog, I've been walking a fair bit more than before (3 or 4 miles a day). With all the walking my thighs have become noticably more muscular but my calves look really skinny in comparison.

Can any gym-types here recommend at-home exercises for building them up a bit?

I'm 6'5" and about 15 stone.

Martial Arts Man

6,613 posts

188 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
You are similar height and weight to myself.

I have always had similar problems.

Calves are notoriously difficult.

Skip, every day for as long as you can.

Easy. Job done.

Worked for me. Awesome fitness builder too.


Muntu

7,636 posts

201 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
"calve muscles" hehe

quyen

592 posts

196 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Wear ankle weights 8h/day and you'll soon (well about 3months) notice a difference.

http://www.kickbacksports.co.uk/Products/Wrist-and...

Lefty Guns

Original Poster:

16,223 posts

204 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Muntu said:
"calve muscles" hehe
d-oh, is the singular noun "calf"?

Thanks for the skipping tip, I'll get a rope at lunchtime!

How's cycling?



Lefty Guns

Original Poster:

16,223 posts

204 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
quyen said:
Wear ankle weights 8h/day and you'll soon (well about 3months) notice a difference.

http://www.kickbacksports.co.uk/Products/Wrist-and...
Might look a bit of a nob at work...

PD9

1,999 posts

187 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
5 a sides wink

Chairman LMAO

666 posts

197 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Why do you need big calve muscles? the body adjusts to the task in hand, for example; cyclists (power to weight the strongest legs out there) typically have big thighs and small calves. In most cases they are a fairly obsolete muscle. If you want to increase mass for vanity reasons then first admit it, then do some weighted calve raises.

People are strange.

Howitzer

2,841 posts

218 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Calf raises.

Balls of your feet on a step, slowly drop as far as you can, then slowly raise as far as you can, so sets of 12 and then repeat to fade.

Doing them properly has them working very hard indeed.

Dave!

Andy Zarse

10,868 posts

249 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
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Bah! I thought this was a thread about veal.

NoelWatson

11,710 posts

244 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Didn't Ahnold deliberately used to wear cut off trousers so that people laughed at his calves?

Davey111

717 posts

188 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Stand on your bottom step facing up the stairs with only your toes on the step. Then lower your heels bellow your toes and raise up to your tip toes. Do this really slowly for as long as you can. Do it in the morning and evening and you will soon see a difference!

Martial Arts Man

6,613 posts

188 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Davey111 said:
Stand on your bottom step facing up the stairs with only your toes on the step. Then lower your heels bellow your toes and raise up to your tip toes. Do this really slowly for as long as you can. Do it in the morning and evening and you will soon see a difference!
A lovely exercise. I have seen many a person unable to walk after doing 20 of these!

However, doing it slowly only is effective if you want big calves. If you want big calves that have explosive power, i.e. for sprinting or jumpring, you need to do explosive exercise.

Like skipping, running up stairs, jumpshots on the basketball court. You could do this stairs exercise too, but as quickly as possible, not as slowly.

All horses for courses I guess!

Lefty Guns

Original Poster:

16,223 posts

204 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Chairman LMAO said:
Why do you need big calve muscles? the body adjusts to the task in hand, for example; cyclists (power to weight the strongest legs out there) typically have big thighs and small calves. In most cases they are a fairly obsolete muscle. If you want to increase mass for vanity reasons then first admit it, then do some weighted calve raises.

People are strange.
It's not that I want huge calves, I'm just self conscious because they are very skinny. My legs are really long and my calves are really skinny compared to my thighs. I can put my 2 hands around the widest part and make my thumbs/middle-fingers touch. I've never been particularly fit and have never been a runner or much of a cyclist.

I'm not aiming to becoem a professional sportsman, just want to get a bit fitter generally now that I've lost some flab and I want to look better in shorts/kilt/nowt etc. So, yes, part of it is for vanity.

Edited by Lefty Guns on Tuesday 10th March 12:30

arryb

10,560 posts

204 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
I appear to have massive calves - don't know where they've come from but I played lots of tennis when I was younger and still do, do lots of cycling and a bit of running.......

ewenm

28,506 posts

247 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Martial Arts Man said:
Davey111 said:
Stand on your bottom step facing up the stairs with only your toes on the step. Then lower your heels bellow your toes and raise up to your tip toes. Do this really slowly for as long as you can. Do it in the morning and evening and you will soon see a difference!
A lovely exercise. I have seen many a person unable to walk after doing 20 of these!

However, doing it slowly only is effective if you want big calves. If you want big calves that have explosive power, i.e. for sprinting or jumpring, you need to do explosive exercise.

Like skipping, running up stairs, jumpshots on the basketball court. You could do this stairs exercise too, but as quickly as possible, not as slowly.

All horses for courses I guess!
My coach advocates dropping slowly but raising quickly when doing calf raises.

Simpo Two

85,845 posts

267 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Knee socks with padding stuffed in.

One calf, two calves. Three is a herd...

Davey111

717 posts

188 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
ewenm said:
Martial Arts Man said:
Davey111 said:
Stand on your bottom step facing up the stairs with only your toes on the step. Then lower your heels bellow your toes and raise up to your tip toes. Do this really slowly for as long as you can. Do it in the morning and evening and you will soon see a difference!
A lovely exercise. I have seen many a person unable to walk after doing 20 of these!

However, doing it slowly only is effective if you want big calves. If you want big calves that have explosive power, i.e. for sprinting or jumpring, you need to do explosive exercise.

Like skipping, running up stairs, jumpshots on the basketball court. You could do this stairs exercise too, but as quickly as possible, not as slowly.

All horses for courses I guess!
My coach advocates dropping slowly but raising quickly when doing calf raises.
Well I just know what I was told to do when I was diving. Exercises constantly seem to evolve and this was about five years ago so I'm willing to concede that there may be better techniques.

raebomb

38 posts

184 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
try doing them single-legged with a weight in one hand and use the other hand to hold onto something to steady yourself, if done right you'll knwo all about it the next morning

Chairman LMAO

666 posts

197 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
raebomb said:
try doing them single-legged with a weight in one hand and use the other hand to hold onto something to steady yourself, if done right you'll knwo all about it the next morning
Is this for recovery reasons or to make girls sleep with you?